How to Change Your IP Address (Windows)

This wikiHow teaches you how to change both your public IP address and your private IP address on a Windows computer. Your public IP address is the address that your computer broadcasts to other networks, while your private IP address is...
Method 1 of 2:

Public IP

  1. How to Change Your IP Address (Windows) Picture 1How to Change Your IP Address (Windows) Picture 1
    Unplug your router and modem. Most service providers assign dynamic IPs, which change from time to time. By disconnecting your modem for a long period of time, you are likely to get a new address assigned to you when you turn it back on.
    1. You may want to check your current IP address before doing this.
    2. Simply unplugging the router and modem from the wall will work.
  2. How to Change Your IP Address (Windows) Picture 2How to Change Your IP Address (Windows) Picture 2
    Disable your computer's Wi-Fi. This will prevent it from reconnecting to the router when you plug it back in. To disable Wi-Fi:
    1. Click
      How to Change Your IP Address (Windows) Picture 3How to Change Your IP Address (Windows) Picture 3
      in the bottom-right corner of the screen.
    2. Click Wi-Fi in the pop-up window.
  3. How to Change Your IP Address (Windows) Picture 4How to Change Your IP Address (Windows) Picture 4
    Wait for five minutes. Some ISPs will assign a new IP address in as little as five minutes; if doing this doesn't work, however, you may need to leave your router unplugged overnight (or for around eight hours).
  4. How to Change Your IP Address (Windows) Picture 5How to Change Your IP Address (Windows) Picture 5
    Plug your router back in. As long as you have a different device (e.g., a phone, a gaming console, or another computer) connected to Wi-Fi, the router and the second device will claim the old IP address.
  5. How to Change Your IP Address (Windows) Picture 6How to Change Your IP Address (Windows) Picture 6
    Re-enable Wi-Fi on your computer. Doing so after the other devices have had a chance to establish their connections will most likely change your computer's public IP address.
    1. You may want to check your IP address again to make sure it has changed.
  6. How to Change Your IP Address (Windows) Picture 7How to Change Your IP Address (Windows) Picture 7
    Contact your ISP. In some rare cases, you may have a static IP address assigned by your internet service provider. In order to get this changed, you will need to contact their technical support directly. Oftentimes, this can only be changed once.[1]
  7. How to Change Your IP Address (Windows) Picture 8How to Change Your IP Address (Windows) Picture 8
    Use a proxy network. This will display a different IP address for your connection; often, it will be an address from a different part of the country or world. Reliable proxies and VPNs often require monthly subscriptions.
Method 2 of 2:

Private IP

Renewing the Address

  1. How to Change Your IP Address (Windows) Picture 9How to Change Your IP Address (Windows) Picture 9
    Open Start
    How to Change Your IP Address (Windows) Picture 10How to Change Your IP Address (Windows) Picture 10
    . It's in the bottom-left corner of the screen. If you're trying to change your IP address in order to fix a connection issue, renewing it is an easier process than manually changing the address.
  2. How to Change Your IP Address (Windows) Picture 11How to Change Your IP Address (Windows) Picture 11
    Type command prompt into Start. This will search your computer for the Command Prompt app.
  3. How to Change Your IP Address (Windows) Picture 12How to Change Your IP Address (Windows) Picture 12
    Right-click
    How to Change Your IP Address (Windows) Picture 13How to Change Your IP Address (Windows) Picture 13
    Command Prompt. It should be at the top of the Start window.
  4. How to Change Your IP Address (Windows) Picture 14How to Change Your IP Address (Windows) Picture 14
    Click Run as administrator. This option is at the bottom of the drop-down menu.
    1. If you aren't an administrator on your current computer, you won't have this option and thus won't be able to renew your computer's IP address.
  5. How to Change Your IP Address (Windows) Picture 15How to Change Your IP Address (Windows) Picture 15
    Click Yes when prompted. Doing so opens Command Prompt.
  6. How to Change Your IP Address (Windows) Picture 16How to Change Your IP Address (Windows) Picture 16
    Type in ipconfig /release and press Enter. This command "forgets" your current IP address.
  7. How to Change Your IP Address (Windows) Picture 17How to Change Your IP Address (Windows) Picture 17
    Type in ipconfig /renew and press Enter. This refreshes your IP address. Doing this in and of itself will likely solve some connection issues, though it won't always change your computer's actual IP address.

Changing the Address

  1. How to Change Your IP Address (Windows) Picture 18How to Change Your IP Address (Windows) Picture 18
    Open the Settings app. Click the Start
    How to Change Your IP Address (Windows) Picture 19How to Change Your IP Address (Windows) Picture 19
    button and select the Settings
    How to Change Your IP Address (Windows) Picture 20How to Change Your IP Address (Windows) Picture 20
    gear.
  2. How to Change Your IP Address (Windows) Picture 21How to Change Your IP Address (Windows) Picture 21
    Select the Network & Internet category.
    How to Change Your IP Address (Windows) Picture 22How to Change Your IP Address (Windows) Picture 22
  3. How to Change Your IP Address (Windows) Picture 23How to Change Your IP Address (Windows) Picture 23
    Ensure the Status section is selected. This is the first tab on the left pane.
  4. How to Change Your IP Address (Windows) Picture 24How to Change Your IP Address (Windows) Picture 24
    Click the "Change connection properties" link.
  5. How to Change Your IP Address (Windows) Picture 25How to Change Your IP Address (Windows) Picture 25
    Click Edit under "IP assignment". Scroll down to access this section.
  6. How to Change Your IP Address (Windows) Picture 26How to Change Your IP Address (Windows) Picture 26
    Switch to a manual IP assignment. Click the dropdown menu from the dialog that appears and choose the "Manual" option.
  7. How to Change Your IP Address (Windows) Picture 27How to Change Your IP Address (Windows) Picture 27
    Toggle on
    How to Change Your IP Address (Windows) Picture 28How to Change Your IP Address (Windows) Picture 28
    IPv4. Several text boxes will appear.
  8. How to Change Your IP Address (Windows) Picture 29How to Change Your IP Address (Windows) Picture 29
    Fill in the text boxes. Here's what they mean:
    1. IP address - Usually, your device's IP address will be "192.168.1.X" (or a similar set of numbers), wherein "X" is specific to your device. Change the "X" value to a number between 1 and 100. Make sure you don't use the same IP address as another device on your network (e.g., your phone).
    2. Subnet prefix length - This depends on your IP address, but will usually be "255.255.255.X".
    3. Gateway - This is your router's IP address.
    4. Preferred DNS - Your preferred DNS address (for example: "208.67.222.222" for the OpenDNS server, or "8.8.8.8" for Google's server).
    5. Alternate DNS - A secondary DNS address (for example: "208.67.220.220" for the OpenDNS server, or "8.8.4.4" for Google's server).
  9. How to Change Your IP Address (Windows) Picture 30How to Change Your IP Address (Windows) Picture 30
    Click Save. Your new network settings will be saved and applied.
5 ★ | 1 Vote